Chapter 305

“Ugh······”

“Are you okay?”

“Over here for the injured!”

A massive monster assault followed the neutralization of the monument. It sent the academy into a complete uproar.

At first, we managed to hold them back thanks to some decent manpower and Rize’s efforts, but then things went downhill with Rize’s absence.

When Rize went off to assist here and there, only the easier monsters showed up. But then things got tough.

Orc Champions, Nol Chieftains, and hordes of Goblins led by Hobgoblins. Higher-tier beings swarmed in like a pack of wolves.

Fortunately, the professors were still around, so the damage wasn’t catastrophic, but injuries started piling up, and we were bound to get stuck.

“Hah······ Hah······”

“Are you okay?”

After things settled down somewhat, Luna asked Grace, who was collapsed on the floor.

There were plenty of people around, but Grace was sprawled out on the ground, seemingly not caring about the dignity of nobility.

“I feel like I’m going to die······ Hah······”

“Well, maybe you should work on your stamina.”

“But I’m······ a mage······ Huh······”

Grace snapped back, completely drained of both magic power and physical strength. It looked like she didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger.

With the defensive line formed, the importance of mages like Grace increased significantly. No wonder she was exhausted.

But we could no longer rely on her strength. Luna turned to look elsewhere.

‘Thank goodness no one has died yet?’

At least not in the main hall training area. There were some serious injuries, but Erika’s first aid handled those.

The problem was the next wave of monsters. Unless the monument was restored, the monsters would keep on coming.

Rize’s continued absence was puzzling, but more than that, Luna was worried about Sivar.

‘Even though the principal is there…’

They prepared thoroughly, but a demon is a demon. Just like they neutralized the monument, who knows what they might do?

Moreover, just a little while ago, a lightning strike struck down that could only be described as enormous. After that, a meteor even fell.

Fortunately, that meteor vanished shortly after, but it still felt unsettling.

‘Would my going help at all?’

Luna pondered deeply within. Objectively speaking, her skills were somewhat lacking.

Kara and Sivar could at least play a supportive role, but she felt she’d only be a nuisance.

Above all, it was a situation where monsters could pop up anywhere, anytime. There was simply no proper information.

‘…Right. I’d just be a hindrance.’

Just as she resolved to keep her place, a message appeared in her view.

[Faith is decreasing.]

Luna stumbled upon the sight of a message. It was similar to one she had seen before, but this one was different.

It should normally be an increase, yet this time it was going down. Luna stared at the message, puzzled.

‘What is this? Why all of a sudden?’

Why was her faith decreasing like this? Just to clarify, she didn’t have any particular god she believed in.

That’s why when she first saw something like this, she thought it was a hallucination. She soon realized it was due to her own eyes.

The problem was that she had no idea how, why, or when it appeared. Luna tilted her head in confusion.

‘Does it mean I shouldn’t have negative thoughts?’

[Faith is increasing!]

This time, a positive reaction popped up. After a brief moment of contemplation, Luna turned her head.

It was the dueling arena where the meteor fell just moments ago. She quietly muttered to herself.

‘Does it mean I should go help?’

[Faith is increasing!]

Apparently, it did. Luna made a face that expressed she’d experienced something strange.

Still, this was a bit much, don’t you think? She thought flipping a coin might be better than this.

‘It’s not a bad idea?’

Instead of overthinking, she decided to take it easy by flipping a coin.

Whichever choice she made would likely leave her with regrets anyway. She glanced around before spotting a coin.

‘Heads means stay, and tails means go help.’

-Ting!

The coin bounced, spinning around before crashing down. Luna just watched it fall without trying to catch it.

She stared blankly at the coin as it landed on the ground.

The coin revealed its tails side.

“Hmm······”

Must be a coincidence. Luna pocketed the coin and headed toward the dueling arena.

She didn’t forget to say something to Grace before leaving.

‘Feels like I’m being terribly indecisive…’

She shook off the nagging feeling. After all, what mattered now was supporting Sivar.

Fortunately, the path to the dueling arena was clear. There were no monster or demon attacks.

Eventually, she reached the vicinity of the dueling arena without a hitch, only to notice something odd.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Luna’s eyes widened. A curtain surrounded the entire dueling arena.

Upon closer inspection, it was glowing purple. The arena lights were on, so she hadn’t noticed before.

Luna stared at the curtain for a while before taking out the coin for safety. She then lightly tossed the coin toward the curtain.

-Swoosh!

The coin slipped right into the curtain with ease. But the problem came next.

As if gravity had reversed, the coin didn’t fall down but sideways. It barely stopped after hitting the wall.

Whatever was going on inside didn’t seem normal. Luna steeled herself and took a step forward.

“Whoah!”

-Kwoosh!

As soon as she stepped inside the curtain, she felt like she would be pulled in. Luckily, she managed to stab her sword into the ground just in time; otherwise, she would have plummeted.

Taking a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, she cautiously descended. Without any gear, she had to be extremely careful.

‘…Will I make it in time?’

That thought crossed her mind.

******

-Tap. Tap.

Blood drips. Bright red and sticky blood.

Fresh crimson blood covers the purple spear. I stared at the scene blankly before turning my gaze away.

The white shirt that pierced through the purple spear slowly began to turn red. Rod’s beloved white shirt.

“Ugh······!”

While I was dazed, Rod grunted and began to fight back.

His sword, which had broken when he couldn’t block the purple spear, spun in the air.

-Shick!

Rod snatched the sword with his bare hand and plunged it into False’s neck. It was a smooth, fluid motion.

However, the opponent was a demon, specifically the Purple Demon. Even though he stabbed with his bare hand, he likely didn’t inflict serious damage.

As proof, False stepped back, the sword still embedded in his neck. At the same time, the spear that had pierced Rod’s body was also retrieved.

-Thwack!

As soon as the spear pulled out, the blood spread all over Rod’s shirt. It was an extreme wound to say the least.

I desperately wanted to get up, but gravity still felt like it was tilted 90 degrees, rendering me unable to move. Only Rod could stand on his two legs.

“Gramps.”

“I’m fine. Just got poked in the side.”

When I asked in a trembling voice, Rod replied coolly. Unlike me, his voice was calm.

As he said, they avoided the worst-case scenario, but the problem was the purple spear. In the Soul World, purple meant ‘instant death’ pattern.

Even if it wasn’t a direct hit, the curse made survival not a guarantee. Not even for someone skilled at the indigo level.

In other words, right now, Rod was essentially on borrowed time. That fact started to squeeze my heart.

“There was no need to step in······ I only got myself into trouble.”

False wiped the blood from his spear and spoke. His tone was somewhat dismissive.

Compared to the impactful hits he’d taken before, he looked more alive than dead. The advantages of being a demon were glaringly apparent.

Purple blood could only kill if it completely shattered the heart or was obliterated by divine power.

“I don’t understand. Why would you sacrifice yourself just because you have some affection for someone who isn’t even your own child?”

“Who knows?”

-Wooom!

Just after Rod answered shortly, his broken sword began to change.

At first, it seemed like some formless energy was oozing out, but before long, it started to get enveloped in indigo.

Before long, the formless energy took shape, fully transforming into a ‘sword’.

Rod slowly prepared his stance and finally gave an answer to False’s question.

“How can you answer when even a human can’t understand their own existence?”

“A brilliant answer.”

False smiled slyly, seemingly satisfied, and struck the ground with his spear.

-Thud!

The moment False struck the ground, his expression changed completely. He no longer looked pleased.

“And that’s what makes me even angrier.”

-Crash!!!

A massive wall rose from the ground, completely blocking Rod’s path.

-Crack!

However, Rod didn’t even seem to care, shattering that wall to pieces with near-unbelievable speed.

I barely managed to follow him with my eyes. Even though the curse was slowly corroding his body, his skills showed no signs of dwindling.

“How could one possess such selfishness when even one cannot understand themselves?”

False’s lamentation could be heard over the sounds of the collapsing wall. He seemed utterly incomprehensible.

Meanwhile, Rod pressed forward without responding, while False hardly seemed to be on the offensive.

[Earth! Rise and attack!]

Of course, he wasn’t solely focusing on defense. The ground surged not just as an attack, but also as pursuit directed at Rod.

Rod slashed or stomped on all of them like it was nothing. He utilized all his experience and strength.

-Thud!

“Ugh!!”

But it seemed like his body was getting heavier. Or perhaps he was gradually exhausting his stamina.

He was increasingly being hit by attacks that he should’ve dodged or defended against. A rock slammed into his abdomen.

As I watched that unfold, I desperately pulled back Ragnarok. Then, I slowly crawled toward False.

I couldn’t just sit back and watch anymore. I had to grab onto False’s legs if I had to.

“Not long ago, you were just a mere red monkey, but before I knew it, you were right under my chin. And your desires have grown exponentially as well.”

-Whoosh!

A massive whirlpool of fire engulfed Rod. He sliced through the vortex with his sword, but the heat was unavoidable.

As a result, Rod’s white hair, now showing signs of aging, got scorched, and he suffered burns all over his body. Damage was steadily accumulating.

“Humans are merely animals. If given intuitive power, they’ll inevitably be led by that power, even tearing at their own wings.”

“··· ···”

Rod didn’t reply anymore. At some point, he stood tall right in front of False.

But his appearance was nothing short of a disaster. In contrast, he was a mess of injuries.

The bleeding that started from his side had soaked through his entire shirt. No matter who you are, losing that much blood means death.

Normally, he would have tried to stop the bleeding, but the curse prevented even that from happening.

“How rare······ to chat so much for a mere human.”

“··· ···”

-Stab!

Rod smiled wryly as he plunged his sword into False’s heart. He was showcasing the very definition of fighting spirit.

Perhaps due to Rod’s factual violence, False had nothing to say. His face grew expressionless, and he remained silent.

-Thud!

Rod staggered, eventually dropping to one knee. He still clutched his broken sword in his hand.

Meanwhile, the once indigo glow surrounding him had completely faded. Both magic power and stamina were fully depleted.

-Swish

At the same moment, False lifted his spear. Now, there was no one to stop him.

I desperately struggled to hurl Ragnarok as a last-ditch effort.

“Hey, shouldn’t you at least leave a dying message?”

“······!”

“The moment you even twitch a finger, there won’t be time for messages.”

Sensing my attempt, False warned. I had no choice but to freeze at those words.

A dying message? No way, please, I want to keep talking longer.

Whether I like it or not, Rod was an adult. The only adult who could protect me, no matter the trouble I stirred up.

I absolutely did not want to hear a dying message. But in a situation like this, I had nothing I could do.

“So, do you have any last words?”

“··· ···”

At those words, Rod, kneeling on one knee, looked up at me. Cold sweat streamed down his face.

Finally, as our gazes met, Rod smiled warmly. It was as if he was saying not to worry, a genuinely kind expression despite the blood.

The message was over. All that remained was False taking his life.

“I’m sorry for ending it like this.”

“··· ···”

“Goodbye.”

The spear descended. As if it intended to see it through to the end, the purple spear came down.

Time slowed, and only those two came into view. The spear inched closer.

“······!!”

I had no idea what I was shouting. Was it a plea, or was it fury?

Whatever it was, there was one thing I knew for certain. It was a bitter truth I didn’t want to accept.

Rod was dying. Not just anyone, but for my sake.

There was no one to help······ I couldn’t halt that False.

If things continued, a tragedy I absolutely didn’t want to see would unfold before my eyes. That was unacceptable.

Just as the purple spear was about to pierce Rod’s neck.

“······Aaaah!!!”

“Huh?”

“Ah······?”

A sudden scream pierced through the air. It momentarily halted the spear’s descent.

I stared blankly at the source of the scream. Above me, based on my perspective.

When I finally looked up, the last person I expected came into view.

“Waaahhhh!!!”

“Is that······?”

“······Luna?”

It was Luna. For some unknown reason, Luna was falling from the entrance of the dueling arena.

Why was she here? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

But regardless of understanding, Luna was descending. At this rate, she’d collide with the spectator stands.

“Hey! Catch her!”

“Oh, sister!”

To my luck, Kara was right in the fall’s path. Luna managed to avoid crashing thanks to her help.

“······You’re one of the eyes I wanted to avoid.”

False muttered quietly upon spotting Luna. Meanwhile, I scrambled, trying to crawl closer.

Luna’s appearance had bought us a few moments, but to be honest, it was hardly useful.

And my struggle was just as pointless. False looked down at me with a scoff before raising his spear.

“Stop the nonsense. But at······”

Just when False was about to impale Rod.

-Bright!

In an instant, the sky grew brighter than before. The lights in the dueling arena were on, but they were overshadowed by this greater radiance.

False looked up at the sky in shock. His eyes widened in disbelief.

“Th-This······!”

-Whaaaam!!!

A harmonious blend of white and black light struck False hard. It seemed to have such overwhelming force that he was knocked back.

He collided against the spectator wall. Rod’s body slumped, as if he had fainted, still holding one knee on the ground.

I stared in a daze at the bewildered False now sent flying to the audience, turning my head.

“Good thing I wasn’t too late.”

Out of the gray glow emerged an angel without wings.

“Thanks to Lord Chaos, we almost faced a disaster.”

And it was a muscular angel.

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